But I said nothing. I remained silent and watched her stonily. She gulped and licked her lips nervously.
“I guess I just need a few days to figure it out. Do you think I can have that?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Sure,” I said and brushed past her and walked into the clubhouse. She followed me in. The rest of the guys in there turned to watch us. Drax was sitting at the bar counter beside Mary-Beth, and Sophie was serving them drinks. Mary-Beth jumped off her stool and came running toward us and put her arms around Mercy.
“You’re okay! Thank God! I was so worried. Did Ghost find you? What happened?”
There was a hushed silence in the bar now, everyone watching us. They were looking at Mercy with suspicion and maybe she could sense it. I wanted to hold her hand, declare to everyone that she was my woman now. But there was a cold distance between us.
Mercy glanced at me and then smiled at Mary-Beth.
“Eagle kidnapped me. He wanted information on you guys. Ghost found me and he got away.”
An angry murmur rang out in the room at the news that Eagle got away. A second time.
Mary-Beth peered at the bruise on Mercy’s face.
“That looks nasty, I’m sorry, hon.”
“It’s fine. I can barely feel it anymore. I’ll be okay.”
They were smiling at each other and then Drax called out from the bar.
“Well, come over here, you two, and have a fuckin’ drink.”
* * *
“She’s alright,” Drax said. Duke was sitting on his other side, while I was trying not to stare at Mercy and Mary-Beth talking. They were in the other corner of the room.
“She’s been through some deep shit in the last few days,” I said and Drax nodded.
“And if you say she managed to keep her mouth shut to Eagle, then I believe you.”
“She hasn’t betrayed us. She never worked for him,” I said. Drax grunted in response and took a large gulp of his beer.
“And Mary-Beth seems to trust her too.”
“I offered her a job as our in-house medic,” I said.
“That’s a good idea. She did a good job with Crash. We could use that kind of help around here.”
“Yeah, I don’t know if she’s going to take the job,” I added quickly.
I was still staring at her, while Drax kept his eyes on me. I could sense him trying to decide what was going through my head.
“You fucked her yet?” he finally asked. I tightened my grip on my can of beer. I said nothing but that was all the answer Drax needed.
“She got you, didn’t she?” he added. I finally turned to face him and he was shaking his head.
“Fuck that. Fuck these women and their wily ways. You fuck them once and you can never get enough of them.”
I knew he was right. I just didn’t want to admit it. If Mercy was going, I was going to let her go. She deserved better than to stay stuck here in my world. She deserved to lead a calm and peaceful life away from all this.
“She is not my Mary-Beth,” I said sternly to Drax, but he had that glimmer in his eyes that told me he knew better.
I decided to walk over to the girls and put an end to this one way or another. If Mercy had changed her mind about working here and about being with me, then it would be best if she just walked away now. I didn’t want to drag this out. I had work to do.
“Hey, we need to talk,” I said, walking up to them and interrupting their conversation.
Mary-Beth smiled at me politely and then she walked away. It was like she knew there was something going on between us. Mercy turned to me, her cheeks flushed, but that could have been because of something Mary-Beth said to her, or because of the drink in her hand.
It was strange seeing her still wearing my clothes. Maybe I should have asked for them back. It suddenly made me mad that she made me weak. Fuck!
“Look, Mercy, I don’t play games. I don’t have the time for it,” I said quickly before I could change my mind.
Her brows furrowed and she licked her lips, then nodded.
“Yes, I agree. Neither of us have time for playing games.”
What I wanted to say was that I was claiming her. She was my woman. She should move in with me and we would live in my cabin in the woods together.
But I drew in a breath and looked around the bar. The others were drinking. The place was rowdy. The music was too loud. The prospects slapped asses of any girl within arm’s reach. The remaining strippers from Teasers were walking around in their fishnet stockings, trying to get the prospects to take them home.
This wasn’t where Mercy belonged. She’d already been through too much. She’d been kidnapped and threatened and physically assaulted. If she stayed with me, how much more danger would her life be in?
“You don’t have to stay in my cabin. I’m on Eagle’s trail. We’re going to find him soon. I’m not going to let him get anywhere near you. So you are free to live your life the way you want to. You don’t owe me anything.”
I spoke firmly, holding her gaze. I wanted her to see that I meant it. She gulped and nodded. She understood.
“Okay, thank you. I appreciate it. I think I should move in with my grandma. She needs me.”
“Okay.”
Mercy looked up at me and it seemed like she was going to force herself to smile, but in the end, she didn’t.
“I guess I should get out of here. Get out of your hair.”
I didn’t want her to go. It was like a physical
